Overall, I think I gained knowledge and open mindedness. I gained the courage to reach out and take chances that I know I would never have taken had I not taken this course. I gained the ability to read through a lot of the crap that is out there being offered and get to the important stuff.

What Did the BaBCB Course Mean to You?

Iron Pyrite and Tree Of Life Charm Necklace

Hello, all! As we come into our final day of promotion for the Build a Better Creative Business Course (classes started yesterday, September 9), I wanted to introduce you to Janet Cozzens. She’s building a creative business of her own, and she was enrolled in our Spring premier running of the BaBCB course. I feel like I’ve said everything I can say about what Tim and I have to offer over the next eight weeks, and I thought as a former participant, Janet might have a few things to add. Enjoy the interview!

Hi, Janet! Thanks so much for being here. Can you start by telling us a little bit about your creative business?

Hi Lisa! I started my creative business endeavor in 2009 after losing what I thought then to be my career. I am not one to sit and wait for things to happen, so I began creating jewelry. I found wire wrapped jewelry to be the avenue that I pursued. I loved the way that it looked, and I wanted so badly to create it myself. I have done quite a few craft fairs and shows locally and sold quite a few pieces. I am still pursuing sales online.

After taking the Build A Better Creative Business Course (BaBCB) with you and Tim, I really took what was being taught and began to see things in a new light. Through the BaBCB course, I have found my voice. I have found that there was more to me than I thought there was. I have found that I needed to grow and really open myself up to the possibility that I may need to re-evaluate what my truest purpose is.

Needless to say, I am a creative with many passions. The Build A Better Creative Business Course has really provided the avenue for me to do the soul searching and self-evaluation that I think everyone should do. My only regret is that I did not take this course sooner.

How did you hear about the Build a Better Creative Business course in the first place?

Being a creative, I began following Tim Adam soon after I began creating jewelry. I joined Handmadeology quite some time ago and I saw a post that Tim released on Facebook about the BaBCB Course.

What made you decide to join us for our introductory running (Spring 2013)?

I never even thought twice about it. I signed up immediately. I feel that Tim is incredibly intuitive, and I felt that taking this course would be a no-brainer. The fact that you were teaching this class with Tim was an added bonus! I feel that you both are very smart when it comes to marketing creativity. I know how successful you both are and I knew that this could be a course that I could take a lot out of and apply it to my own goals and aspirations. I feel that to make a business you must invest in that business, and I knew that this would be a great investment.

We’re relaunching the Build a Better Creative Business course right now in a big way! For all of the people who are wondering what the course is about and if it’s for them and their own businesses, what would you say?

I would tell every creative business owner out there that this course is amazing! Even if you are unsure of where you are at, or what level you are pursuing, this course is designed for YOU. This course opened so many doors for me. The course content offered so many more avenues to pursue. Lisa and Tim brought together so many experts that have all created their own creative businesses and provided access to these people. Without this course, I would have never figured out where to go next. I would have never known that these people were out there waiting to help people like me.

I would tell every creative business owner out there that you are not alone, but that the only way to find that out is to take a course such as this. I found so many people that I have created a ‘network’ of my own from.

Tim Adam and Lisa Jacobs really care about you, and they really want to help you succeed. They have made a difference in my life because, through this course, they gave me the information I needed to push away the curtain and reveal what was behind it.

Tim and Lisa truly know what you’re talking about. Even if you are hearing things that are different from what you have heard in the past, listen with open ears and an open mind because I believe full-heartedly that Tim and Lisa will not steer you wrong. I would SO recommend this course to every single person out there that is trying to succeed at pursuing their dream of having their own creative business.

If you have an Etsy shop, this course is a must! Tim and Lisa provide so much clarity in what it takes to run a successful Etsy shop. They are a wealth of information and they will provide the answers to so many of the questions that you have.

Thank you, Janet! We’re blushing What was your favorite aspect of the course?

My favorite aspect of the course was that you brought so many incredible people in to teach and mentor us. They all are inspiring in their own right because they are all successful, and they were willing to share so much with all of us. The course content was incredible and I still can’t believe the connections I took away from this course. It really is amazing to me that I have gotten to speak – really talk to – these people that I feel are celebrity-like in one way or another. You and Tim provided these connections, and I find that to be so fantastic!

The way that you and Tim opened up about selling and having Etsy shops was so helpful. You took so much of the guess work out of the way to present your Etsy shop to the world. You provided vital information as to what we can do to make our Etsy shops the best that they can be. Learning how to have a stellar Etsy presence helped me with my new website as well. There is just so much good information in this course that can be utilized in so many ways and in so many avenues online, not just an Etsy shop. I use things that you guys taught me everyday in all of my online presence. Little things occur to me that I learned in this course every time I post a new blog post or a new item in my Etsy shop.

That’s absolutely wonderful. I love hearing that last part! What did you think of our live mastermind sessions?

Being truly honest, I loved that you, LISA, stopped in the middle of the course because you were listening and hearing what was being said in the forums. I was one of those people that expressed some concern about what I had been taught previous to this course, and you heard me. You changed the curriculum for the next segment of the course so that you could address some of the concerns that were being voiced, and I found this to be so inspiring to me.

I think that this was the point where I began to take so much from this course. I opened myself up to other ideas and suggestions, and this was so incredibly amazing for me. When you addressed these concerns in the mastermind session,

I found that we were not just a ‘group’ of people, but that we were treated as individuals that deserved the respect to be heard and listened to.

Sometimes, in a group, people will not speak up. I found that after some of us did speak up, you wanted us all to feel safe if we needed to address something. I believe that the mastermind sessions were thought of as safe and that more people were able to speak up and say what they were feeling.

I loved that you were willing to listen and address those concerns before moving forward. I don’t believe that this happens often and this really meant a lot to me. The Facebook group and the forums where we could be completely honest and vulnerable and exposed was so cool to me. It taught me so much about how we are not alone trying to pursue things.

You and Tim were both so open to listening and hearing the concerns of the people in the course, and this made the course so much more personal for me. I looked forward to the mastermind sessions with anticipation because there is where we were able to speak to you and where you really took the time to address what was being said in the Facebook group and in the forums. I believe that the mastermind sessions is where we were all able to come together as a ‘tribe’ and work through the things that needed working through.

What did you think of the other members who participated in the classes with you?

I have made some incredible connections through this course. I have Skyped with a few of the people that took the course that I had a lot in common with. A few of these people have become a part of my ‘network’ that I spoke of earlier. I believe that it is so important to form bonds and create a ‘network’ of confidants and mentors that you can turn to that can understand the back side of what is going on.

When we are trying to have a business online, we have to be careful of the perception that we convey. We cannot always be ‘ourselves’ when we are online putting forth our persona.

We need a ‘network’ that we can communicate with and be real and show our raw feelings and share our struggles with. Having met some of the people in the course has given me the knowledge that there are others just like me, struggling with the same issues, trying to figure it all out. Forming bonds with these people and being able to share our journeys with each other has been awesome!

Watching some of the people in the course grow has been awesome too. Watching them step out and try new things and put themselves out there is incredible. Some amazing things are happening for some of the people that took this course and applied what they learned. One that sticks with me a lot is the owner of Sudsy Sweet Treats. Watching her progress and the great things that are happening with her is so inspiring to me. She took what she was taught in this course and used it to her advantage so well.

There are others that are on amazing journeys as well. Jodi Ohl with her painting, and Siri Johansson with her jewelry. There are more that I have not mentioned here that are doing great things as well. I believe that our minds were opened to what we could do, and it has created a group of people that have stepped out of our comfort zones and pushed forward with our creative businesses. I feel so fortunate to have met these people and formed connections with some of them.

I love them all so much! I definitely know what you mean. Overall, what did you gain from enrolling in the BaBCB course?

Overall, I think I gained knowledge and open mindedness. I gained the courage to reach out and take chances that I know I would never have taken had I not taken this course. I gained the ability to read through a lot of the crap that is out there being offered and get to the important stuff. I learned how to find the people that are really there to help me work to my truest potential and put my best foot forward. I learned that I need a ‘tribe’ of my own that are willing to listen to me and be honest with me and mentor me so that I can do what I was truly intended to do in this world. I learned how to find that ‘tribe’.

From this course, I also learned that there are some things that you just have to do to be a business owner and not just a hobbyist. I also learned that some of the things that I was taught were not necessarily the right things. I learned how to open my mind to new ideas and to see things in a different light and take a chance on new methods of running my creative business. I learned how to find others that are there to help and mentor me. I learned how to work through the difficulties and know that I am not alone in this work. I learned a lot about what it means to have a presence on Etsy and how to maneuver it better. I learned so very much from you and Tim, and I will never forget it!

Thank you so much for your time and all of your hard work, Janet. It’s been such a pleasure building with you! For more information or to sign up for the Build a Better Creative Business course, click here. Until next time and all the best~

About Lisa Jacobs

I'm Lisa Jacobs: Owner of the Energy Shop and Author of Market Your Creativity and The Rescue You Program. I'm from Pittsburgh, PA and currently living with my husband and our four children in Wellington, New Zealand. I have a passion for self-discovery and personal transformation. I like to spend my free time enjoying family, friends, spirituality and business books, Oprah, and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills :).

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